Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution and Gun Possession Offenses

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KENDALL JONES, also known as “Wolf,” 32, of Hartford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in September and October 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force, along with state and local law enforcement officers, conducted an operation in response to a recent spike in drug-related violence in Hartford’s North End.  Jones was identified during the operation as an active drug seller.

On October 7, 2020, investigators sought to arrest Jones on a state arrest warrant and observed him at a gas station on Albany Avenue in Hartford engaging in what appeared to be drug transactions.  As task force officers approached Jones, Jones ran and discarded a black leather shoulder bag.  Jones was apprehended after a short chase.  A search of Jones’ person revealed approximately eight grams of crack cocaine and a quantity of marijuana, and the discarded shoulder bag contained a loaded .22 caliber Ruger semiautomatic handgun.

The handgun has been reported stolen in North Carolina in July 2020.

Jones’ criminal history includes state convictions for drug, firearm, robbery and larceny offenses.

Jones pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years.

Judge Thompson scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2021.

Jones, who was released on bond in this federal case, was arrested on state narcotics charges on April 9, 2021, after he was again observed making drug sales in Hartford.  He has been detained since his arrest.

The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.